Health Profile of Fayette County, West Virginia
Fayette County Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
-
C
Fayette County Below averageLess healthy than 80% of counties in West Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.0% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 25.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Fayette County is 76.6 years, about 0.4 years longer than the West Virginia average of 76.1 years. The uninsured rate is 8.0%, higher than the West Virginia average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 25.9% of residents, higher than the West Virginia average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
16,384 residents in Fayette County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 891 272 men · 618 women
- 75–84 2,536 1,092 men · 1,445 women
- 65–74 4,531 2,138 men · 2,393 women
- 50–64 8,426 4,261 men · 4,165 women
Younger residents
7,807 residents in Fayette County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,395 1,329 boys · 1,066 girls
- 7–12 2,371 1,192 boys · 1,179 girls
- 3–7 1,773 834 boys · 939 girls
- 0–3 1,269 632 boys · 637 girls
About 2,959 residents in Fayette County (7.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 16.3% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.7% | 9.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.8% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Fayette County are about the same as in West Virginia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 27.4% | 25.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 11.8% | 11.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 35.3% | 31.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Fayette County are about the same as in West Virginia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 85,732 cigarettes a day, 2.6 million a month, or 31.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 943,051 minutes a day and 344.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Fayette County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.55 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.16 | 6.17 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Fayette County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Fayette County, WV Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, WV is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 39,515 residents against a local median of 24,277. Where Fayette County, WV breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 37% above the local median of 5.8% at 8.0%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.4% on uninsured, so Fayette County, WV sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fayette County, WV has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, WV | 39,515 | 76.6 yrs #1/6 | 8.0% #6/6 | 40.8% #3/6 |
| Raleigh County, WV | 73,194 | 75.3 yrs | 4.2% | 42.9% |
| Nicholas County, WV | 24,277 | 74.0 yrs | 5.8% | 38.8% |
| Clay County, WV | 7,835 | 76.0 yrs | 5.8% | 40.8% |
| Summers County, WV | 11,729 | 72.9 yrs | 6.6% | 42.5% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 176,529 | 75.0 yrs | 4.9% | 38.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Fayette County, West Virginia has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with West Virginia, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Fayette County, West Virginia.
Is Fayette County, West Virginia a healthy place to live?
Fayette County, West Virginia has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Fayette County, West Virginia one of the healthiest counties in West Virginia?
Fayette County ranks 44th healthiest out of 55 counties in West Virginia by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Fayette County, West Virginia?
People in Fayette County, West Virginia can expect to live 76.6 years on average, about the same as the West Virginia average of 76.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Fayette County, West Virginia?
8.0% of residents in Fayette County, West Virginia have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 2.0 points above the West Virginia rate of 6.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Fayette County, West Virginia?
40.8% of adults in Fayette County, West Virginia are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, about the same as the West Virginia rate of 40.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Fayette County, West Virginia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 85,732 cigarettes a day, 2.6 million a month, or 31.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 943,051 minutes a day and 344.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Fayette County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.55 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →